Handle structure



April 18, 1939. R HUFFMAN 2,154,752

HANDLE STRUCTURE Filed March 12, 1938 @forays heated Apr'. 18, 1939 PATENT OFFICE HANDLE STRUCTURE Russell I. Huffman, Dover, Ohio, assigner to Knapp-Monarch Company, St. Louis, Mo., a

corporation of Missouri lApplication March 12, 1938, Serial No. 195,518

4 Claims. (Cl. 38-90) My invention relates to handle structures and particularly those of a type adapted to be attached to electric appliances such as for example, a sadiron. Among the objects of-my invention is the provision of a new and improved handle structure which is rugged in construction convenient and comfortable in use and relatively simple to manufacture.

Another object is the provision of a new and improyed appliance handle which is adapted to be connected to an appliance by means of a pair of brackets attached in turn to the handle by use of a bolt afilxed to one of the brackets.

Still another object is the provision of a handle structure for an appliance featuring a grip connected to the appliance by means of a series ofA bracketsv which are in turn bolted to the grip which features a bracket' bent into such a form at the point of connection with the bolt that the body of the bracket overlaps and conceals the end of the bolt when the structure is assembled.

Still another object is the provision of the handle structure for an electric iron featuring a handie grip which is attached to the base of theA iron by means of a somewhat resilient bracket at the forward end, shaped so that the upper portion thereof extends a short distance in a somewhat horizontal direction to add to the resiliency of the bracket,` the handle group being secured at the end of the horizontal portion and grooved for thev reception of a bracket end in order to insulateit from the hand of the user and to assist in the concealment of the end of the bolt which is attached thereto.

With these and other objects in view -my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in my claims andillustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section showing my device attached to an electric iron.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section on the line 2--2 45 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front end view of the handle structure.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the handle structure on the line I-l of Fig.`1.

Fig. 5 is a rear view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

In building handle structures for electric appliances and particularly for appliances such as electric irons which are designed to be heated to a very high temperature, considerationmust be taken ofthe necessity for insulating the handle from the appliance so that the user will not burn his hand. In addition to this and especially where a heavy sadiron is to be attached, there is an added necessity of making' the handle structure extremely .rugged so that it will not become loosened When once put .in use. Further still in view of the highly competitive market, irons of this sort must be built as inexpensivelyas possible and to this end the operations necessary to assemble the parts need be reduced to the smallest number possible. It has been found that by constructing a handle structure in the practical novel manner shown, a step in the assembly operation can be eliminated and a device of extreme serviceability and convenience put together with a smaller number ofparts and operations than have heretofore been needed.

In the embodiments shown there has been provided an electric iron having a base indicated generally by the character A upon whichis supported a handle indicated generally by the character B. The handle in turn is bolted to the base by means of a forward handle bracket C and a rear bracket D.

The base of the iron is buit up as is customary in devices of this sort with a sole plate ill upon which is mounted a weight member i2 supporting the operating elements of the iron which are covered over by means of a shell or casing i4. 'I'he shell in turn is secured to the lower members ofv the base by means of screws i6 and il. A control handle It isindicated for turning the current in the iron on and off. At the rear-of the shell is provided a guard 20 for protecting terminal posts not shown, the guard together. with a heel 22 operating as a support for the iron in up-ended position when not in use.

'I'he rear bracket D is adapted to be received in a recess 24 formed in the handle grip B and is there vsecured by means of a bolt 26 which extends centrally through a bore 30 in the handle grip, a head 28 on the bolt being placed at the end of the handle adjacent the bracket D.

'I'he forward bracket C is secured to the shell by the screw i6 and extends in the form of a large continuous curve upward into engagement with the forward part of the handle grip B. 'Ihe upper end of the bracket is bent into a reverse curve having a somewhat S shape and is provided with a threaded aperture 32 adjacent the upper end which is engageable with a threaded end 33 of the bolt 26. The forward end of the handle grip Bis shown routed out in order to form a somewhat radially extending groove 3l of appreciable depth which surrounds and conceals the 8' shaped upper end o! the bracketC. As a result. of this reverse curve resulting in an 8 like shape; at the upper end the body of the bracket loops around so as to conceal the end 33o! the bolt 26.

The bracket irl combination with wooden sides ofv the groove 34 forms an enclosure for the protruding threaded end 36 of the bolt and completely protects it. Protection is especially desirable in case the bolt end should extend a considerable distance through the threaded hole 32V so that there will be no likelihood of it catching in the clothes of the user or doing any other damfor the protection and insulation of the handle brackets. Also it is convenient to have the bolt 28 slightly longer than necessary so that a tip 36 may be tapered slightly in order to, be more quickly and readily inserted in the threaded aperture 32, this of course being made necessary by the omission of the customary nut at the forward end of the device. It then becomes convenient to have the bolt 26 long enough so that when it is screwed tightly into place the tip 36 extends outward a relatively considerable distance. To protect against this the forward bracket C is curved around so that it forms a loop 31 concealing the end 36 of the bolt within the groove 34. In such an event the expense of holding the machining of the handle grip to a close tolerance is rendered unnecessary, a feature of material advantage in 'keeping thecost of manufacture down.

In addition to features above recited, another aperture embodying resilience in thev forward bracket C is provided due to the bracket being shaped to extend a considerable distance rearward in a more or less horizontal direction to the point where it is attached to the handle grip B. The effective length of the bracket C is therefore made considerably greater giving it an added resiliency. There is an advantage for the user of a considerable increase in` convenience and comfort. A novel handle structure has there' fore been provided which is not only more rugged and simpler to manufacture but is also one which adds materially to the convenience and salability of the device.

Some changes may be made in the construction and .arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modied forms of structure or' use of mechanicalA equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A handle structure for an electric appliance comprising an elongated handle, a bracket for attaching the handle to the appliance and means for connecting the handle with the bracket, said bracket having an end portion thereof bent into the form of a downwardly extending loop adjacent the point of contact with the handle with a portion of the loop positioned at the end of the hande adjacent to but separated from said connecting means and means associated therewith for engaging the connecting means at a location protected from endwise external contact by said portion of the loop. l

2. A handle structure for an electric appliance comprising an elongated handle, a bracket having a threaded hole therein, for attaching the handle to the appliance and a bolt for attaching the handle to the bracket threaded into said hole, means on said bracket and means on the handle cooperable therewith forming a pocket to conceal the threaded end of said bolt when in assembled position.

3. A handle structure for an electric appliance comprising an `elongated handle, a resilient bracket for attaching the handle to the appliance comprising a support rigid in a lateral direction and yieldable in a vertical direction and, a bolt for connecting the handle with the bracket, said bracket having an end portion thereof bent vlito the form of a curve at the point of contact with the handle so that portions of the bracket adjacent the .handle lie with the axis thereof in a direction substantially longitudinal with respect to the axis of the handle in order to provide a connection resilient in a vertical direction between the handle and the appliance, and means forming a threaded engagement between the bolt and said bracket.

4. A handle structure for an electric appliance comprising anelongated handle, a bracket for attaching the handle to the appliance and a bolt for connecting the handle with the bracket, said bracket being bent into a substantially 8 shaped portion at the point of contact with the handle and provided with a threaded opening at' the inner end thereof for engagement with the bolt so that the end of the bolt is concealed by the curve of the S shaped portion, and means forming a deep radial groove in the adjacent -end of the handle to receive the 8 shaped portionof the bracket and complete the concealment' of the end of saidbolt.

RUSSELL I. HUFFMAN.` 

